The Course of Love
by ElvenQueen18
Summary: Two people fall in love. A third isn't exactly happy about it. And a fourth leaves the village on the day of the wedding. Jack/Celia, one-sided Jack/Muffy, and hints of one-sided Jack/Nami.
1. A Friendship

**Author's Note:** Welcome to my first-ever Harvest Moon fic! I got A Wonderful Life for my birthday, and I've been playing it ever since. When it came to choosing a wife, I decided to have the player character, who I named Jack (yeah, I know, totally unoriginal ^^), marry Celia. Although I do also like Muffy and Nami, I like Celia the best and think she and Jack make a really cute couple.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harvest Moon.

* * *

><p><strong>A Friendship<strong>

It had been two days since Jack moved to the village of Forget-Me-Not Valley to run the farm his deceased father had left him. Jack never thought of himself as much of a farmer, but his father's old friend Takakura was kind enough to help him get started. Takakura had supplied Jack with a hoe, a watering can, a sickle, two tomato seeds, and even a milk cow, who Jack had named Annabel.

At present, Jack was exiting the house on the other farm in the village. Said farm was co-owned by a woman named Vesta and her younger brother Marlin. Personally, Jack didn't see how the two could be related—Vesta was tanned, strong-looking, and seemed rather abrasive, while Marlin was pale, thin, and much quieter than Vesta—but he'd kept that thought to himself as he bought the seeds he wanted.

At that moment, Jack noticed a brown-haired girl kneeling in front of a field of growing crops. He remembered Takakura saying two days ago that the girl's name was Celia and that she lived and worked on Vesta's farm as hired help. After a few seconds, Jack decided to go over and talk to her.

"Hi, Celia," Jack greeted as he walked up to her.

Celia quickly stood up, a little startled, then smiled as she saw who it was.

"Oh, hello," she responded brightly. "Jack, is it?"

"Yeah, that's me." The new farmer smiled back.

"Did you need something?" Celia asked.

Jack shrugged. "I just came by to get some seeds from Vesta."

"Oh." Celia paused for a moment. "How do you like farm work so far, Jack?"

"Honestly, it's not as bad as I thought it'd be," Jack admitted, "but I don't think I'll ever get used to waking up at five in the morning. I didn't even know it was possible to get up that early!"

Celia giggled at that, and a moment of silence passed.

"I enjoy raising crops," Celia said presently; Jack watched as she looked back at the field. "It might be hard work, but it's fun to watch them develop." A faint smile came to her face. "I don't know why, but I always feel like tending to the growing crops makes me stronger."

Celia turned her gaze to Jack again. "It might sound strange, but there you are."

"It doesn't sound that strange," Jack said thoughtfully. After several seconds, he continued. "Well, I guess I'll head back home and get those seeds planted."

"It was good talking to you, Jack," Celia said.

Jack grinned. "Yeah; you, too."

* * *

><p>It was on the sixth of spring, three days after that memorable conversation, that Jack was visited by Celia.<p>

He had just finished with watering his growing tomatoes and watermelons when he heard a voice call, "Hi, Jack! How's the farm today?"

Jack looked up to see Celia standing on the path that led to his farm. With a warm smile, she turned to walk away; curious, Jack started to follow her. She led him to a forested area and sat down near a spring.

"So is this your way of prying me away from work?" Jack asked jokingly as he sat down next to Celia.

Celia turned her head to look at him, hugging her knees to her chest. "I didn't know you'd follow me, but I guess so," she replied. She was quiet for a moment as she scanned the grass, flowers, and trees.

"I love this place," Celia finally said. "I come here whenever I want some peace and quiet."

"I see," Jack mused.

The two sat in silence for several minutes. At last, Celia stood up.

"I should be going home," she said, taking Jack's hand (he felt himself blush slightly, but she didn't seem to notice) and helping him to his feet. "Don't work too hard, now," Celia added, smiling.

"Uh, sure..."

As Jack watched Celia leave, he suddenly remembered something Takakura had told him the day he started working on the farm.

_"It might be none of my business, but you should find a wife soon."_

Jack blushed harder at the thought.


	2. A Courtship

**A Courtship**

Celia woke up to find sunlight shining from her bedroom window. She didn't hear any noise downstairs, so she figured Vesta and Marlin were out in the shed or something. Within half an hour, Celia got dressed and ate a quick breakfast. Deciding that now would be a good time to check on the crops, she opened the front door—

And suddenly came face-to-face with Jack.

"Whoa!" Celia exclaimed, taking a step backward.

"Oh, sorry, Celia." Jack scratched the back of his neck, looking sheepish. "I guess I should've knocked."

"No, it's alright; I was going out anyway," Celia assured him, walking outside. "I wanted to see how the crops were doing after yesterday's rain."

"Celia," Jack said suddenly.

"Yeah, Jack?" She stopped walking to look at him curiously.

"Um, would you, uh, like to spend time with me today?" Jack stammered out.

Celia frowned in confusion; she'd never seen him this nervous before.

"What do you mean by spending time with you?" she asked. _We talk and visit with each other all the time,_ she thought. _Why should this time be any different?_

But Marlin's voice was heard before Jack could reply.

"Celia, don't you have to go shopping?" Marlin had apparently exited the shed in time to hear what Celia had said, and was now looking from her to Jack with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Oh, right! I almost forgot!" Celia's eyes widened in realization. "Sorry," she told Jack, "I promised Vesta I'd do some shopping for her today."

"I'll go with you," Jack offered.

"What about your work?" Celia questioned.

Marlin gave Jack a suspicious glare. "You came here just to meet women, didn't you?" he asked bluntly.

"Marlin, don't be rude!" Celia scolded.

Just then, Vesta walked out of the shed. "What's all the fuss?" she wanted to know. "Celia, what are you still doing here? I thought you'd be gone by now."

Celia's face flushed. "I'm sorry, I'll just—"

"That guy stopped her from going," Marlin blurted out, pointing at Jack.

"Marlin!" Celia exclaimed, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Sorry," Jack muttered. "You know what? I'm just gonna leave..."

He turned to go, but Celia put a hand on Jack's shoulder to stop him.

"It's not Jack's fault, Vesta," she told the older woman. Celia then smiled at Jack. "Won't you walk me part of the way?"

And with that, Jack and Celia left Vesta's farm.

"I have to apologize for Marlin," Celia told Jack a few minutes later. "He's really not a bad guy; he's just...overprotective."

"I could tell," Jack commented. "But Celia, there is something I want to talk to you about," he added as they stopped at a fork in the path.

Celia smiled apologetically. "As much as I'd love to talk to you, I'm afraid it'll have to wait for later."

Jack nodded reluctantly. "Okay, I understand."

"Bye, Jack." And as Celia started down on the left path, she vaguely wondered what Jack had wanted to talk about.

* * *

><p>"Jack!" Celia greeted when the aforementioned farmer came to visit a couple of days later.<p>

"Hey." Jack grinned. "Going out today?"

"Actually, yes," Celia said. "I was just about to go to the spring. Want to come along?"

Jack voiced his agreement, and Celia beamed. _Great, that's really great,_ she thought. _I need a distraction right now._

But when they made it to the spring, all Celia could think of was what Vesta had told her yesterday.

"Celia?" Jack's voice broke her out of her worrying thoughts. "Is something wrong?"

Celia hesitated, tempted to say that everything was fine, but then decided to tell Jack what was bothering her.

"Vesta has arranged a marriage for me."

The look of shock that crossed Jack's face might have been funny in any other situation. "What?" he exclaimed.

"Yeah; I found out about it yesterday." Celia nodded sadly.

Jack paused. "Do you want to go through with it?"

"No," Celia admitted. "If I ever marry, I want it to be for love."

"Have you told Vesta this?" Jack asked.

Celia shook her head, staring at the water of the spring without really seeing it. "Vesta's been so good to me. She gave me a job and a roof over my head when I moved from Mineral Town, and she considers me to be part of her family. The last thing I want to do is upset her."

It was quiet for a few minutes. Celia looked at Jack, who seemed to be mentally debating something.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Jack asked abruptly.

"Sure," Celia answered, shrugging.

The two stood up and began the walk back to Vesta's farm. Jack slipped his hand into Celia's, and she felt her heart skip a beat. When they bade each other goodbye and Jack left, Celia found herself wishing he would've stayed with her a little while longer.

* * *

><p>"What?" Marlin looked up sharply from his dinner. "Excuse me—<em>what<em>?"

Vesta raised an eyebrow. "I was just asking Celia what she thought of the young man we visited today. They'll be married some time during fall."

"And when were you going to tell me this?" Marlin demanded.

Celia sighed almost inaudibly. It had been four days since she told Jack about her arranged marriage, and she hadn't seen much of him at all lately. Whenever she did see him, it was only for a few minutes, and any conversation they had, although polite, was oddly formal, as though they were little more than acquaintances instead of close friends.

Celia thought dully that she might as well add Vesta and Marlin arguing to the list of her current worries.

"Isn't it obvious?" Vesta was asking rhetorically. "I wasn't going to tell you because I knew this was how you'd react. And it's really none of your business, anyway."

Marlin's voice rose. "You arrange a marriage for Celia _without telling me_, and you think it's none of my business?"

"This a bad time?"

Celia looked up with a start; Jack was standing in the doorway of the house. How much did he hear?

Vesta smiled at the newcomer. "Hello there, Jack!" Her voice was cheerful, as though she hadn't been fighting with her brother only seconds before. "We didn't hear you come in."

"Um, actually, I just got here," Jack said; but he looked quite uncomfortable. Celia was willing to bet that he was lying.

"Just get outta here!" Marlin snapped.

"Good news, Jack," Vesta said, giving Marlin a warning glare. "Celia met her future husband today."

Jack's eyes widened, and he locked gazes with Celia. "Oh...really?"

"Yes, and I was about to ask her what she thought of him, but Marlin here flew off the handle. So, what _do_ you think of him, Celia?" Vesta asked, now focusing on the girl in question.

Celia glanced at Vesta. "He was...nice," she said slowly. "He was very nice to me. It's just..."

She closed her eyes as her voice trailed off. _I don't love him, I don't want to marry him, and the man I do love is standing right there in the doorway._ Celia bit her lip; it wasn't the first time in the last few days that she'd admitted her feelings for Jack to herself, but now certainly wasn't the time to say it out loud.

"I need more time to think on it," Celia said finally. She may have been talking to Vesta, but her eyes were solely on Jack.

* * *

><p>It was very early in the morning on the tenth of summer when Celia woke up and decided to leave Vesta's farm for a while. For the next couple of hours, she wandered aimlessly around the village, eventually finding herself at Jack's farm.<p>

Celia heard a bark, and she smiled as Wriggly, Jack's long-eared dog, ran up to her.

"Hey, boy," she murmured, bending down to pet Wriggly's head. "I don't suppose you know where Jack is?"

"Celia! There you are!"

She straightened up to see Jack hurrying to her.

"Vesta sent me to look for you," Jack explained once he was standing in front of her. "I went to the spring, but when I couldn't find you, I was starting to worry."

Celia flushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to worry anyone. I guess I just...needed to get away for a bit."

She momentarily paused before continuing. "Jack...just so you know, I turned down the marriage."

Jack blinked. "You did?"

Celia smiled softly. "I told you once that I want to marry for love, but that's only one reason I had to say no."

"What's the other one?"

Celia was silent for a few seconds. "The other reason is because...I love you, Jack."

She looked at Jack, waiting for a response.

Jack opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again.

"You what?" he finally asked. "Celia, I..."

"Do you feel the same?" Celia asked quietly.

The shocked expression on Jack's face was slowly replaced by a smile.

"Yes," he said. "Yes, I love you."

_He loves me..._ Celia thought, a smile of her own forming. _He loves me!_ Suddenly, all the anxiety that she'd been feeling since she first learned about her arranged marriage seemed to disappear. With a laugh of delight, Celia threw her arms around Jack, and she felt him hug her back.

When she started for home a little while later, Celia felt as though she were walking on air.


	3. An Engagement

**An Engagement**

Today was the day. After one season of being with Celia, Jack had finally proposed to her using the rare Blue Feather. When he went to see her at Vesta's farm, he told her he needed to ask her something, adding that he thought it'd be better if they went to the spring first.

Celia had seemed a little confused, but readily agreed. Once they were at the spring, Jack wasted no time in presenting the Blue Feather to her. He watched her eyes light up as she saw what he was holding in his hands.

"Celia, will you marry me?" he asked.

Her reply had come not five seconds later. "Yes!"

It was now late afternoon; Jack hadn't seen Celia since she'd accepted his proposal. At present, he was returning to his farm after spending the last hour or so selling his crops and other produce to Van. He had just reached his house when he heard a voice from behind him.

"Jack?"

He turned around, and was surprised to see Muffy standing before him. It wasn't everyday that the blonde came to visit Jack, aside from that one time in early spring, when she'd come to the farm only to have Wriggly bark at her.

But if Jack thought seeing Muffy at his farm was unusual, then the fact that she didn't have a grin on her face was even more so.

"Hi, Muffy," he greeted politely. "Do you need anything?"

Muffy shook her head, frowning slightly. "No. I just wanted to talk to you."

Jack nodded slowly. "Okay. What about?"

"I heard that you got engaged to Celia."

Jack blinked, wondering why that would matter. "Um, yeah, I did. I didn't think the news would spread that fast, though."

"Forget-Me-Not Valley's a small place," Muffy said, smiling for the first time. "Everything that goes on is everyone's business." Her smile faded.

Jack hesitated before speaking. "Somehow, I doubt that you've come to congratulate me."

Muffy sighed, fingering a stray curl. "If you must know, I guess I was hoping you'd propose to me." A note of bitterness was in her voice.

_She what?_ Jack thought, rather stunned. In the three seasons he'd known her, the thought of Muffy, as flirtatious as she could be, having genuine feelings for him had never crossed his mind.

Muffy continued without waiting for a response, now staring down at the grass. "Just my luck. I meet a guy who actually seems like he'd make a good husband someday, and it's not me he's interested in."

"Muffy..." Jack felt a mixture of discomfort and pity as his voice trailed off.

She looked up at him, letting out a small, humorless laugh. "Well, at least this is a step up from getting cheated on."

"Look," Jack began suddenly, "for what it's worth, I'm sure you'll find a guy someday who'll want to be with you. He could be right here in the village for all you know."

"But it won't be you?"

"I'm afraid not."

A moment of silence passed. Muffy was now looking thoughtful.

"Right here in the village, huh?" she mused out loud. She soon snapped out of her thoughts, addressing Jack again. "I think I'll go back to the bar." She started to walk away, then turned back to Jack.

"Oh, and Jack?"

"Yeah?" Jack asked.

Muffy smiled. "Celia's a very lucky girl."


	4. A Wedding

**A Wedding**

Nami still couldn't believe she'd stayed in Forget-Me-Not Valley for two years. As a wandering traveler, it wasn't like her to stay in one place for so long. The longer you stayed somewhere, the more attached you'd get. And Nami wasn't the kind of person to have attachments.

Until she came to this village, anyway. Tim and Ruby were kind enough to let Nami stay at their inn for a cheap fee, and they'd kind of taken her in as their daughter. The rest of the villagers, particularly the musician Gustafa and the artist Cody (probably the closest thing to friends she had here), were interesting people in their own right, and there were plenty of places to explore.

But today was the day that Nami had to leave.

She told herself that the fact that today happened to be Jack and Celia's wedding day had nothing to do with it.

Nami simply couldn't afford to stay in the village any longer. She didn't like the idea of staying at the Inner Inn for free, and there was no one who'd offer her a job. Well, she had considered asking Jack if he'd let her work on his farm, but now that he was marrying Celia, that was out of the question.

So when Jack and Celia stopped by the inn and Tim, Ruby, and Rock were wishing the newlyweds well, Nami abruptly announced her intentions of leaving. After briefly talking with Celia and Jack, the redhead finally began to walk away, refusing to look back at them.

Nami had spent years without getting attached to places and people; she was certain she'd be able to go on as before.

At least she hoped.


End file.
